As is known in the art, temperature can affect the performance of antennas. Conventional techniques do not provide a way to collect antenna patterns while heating the antenna without affecting the patterns. Known techniques to evaluate antenna performance over temperature include heating up antennas with quartz lamps, moving the lamps away from the antenna unit under test, and measuring VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio) data. In another known technique, thermal electric pads are attached to the underside of the antenna to heat the antenna. However, this method may be limited in temperature to about 232° C. In addition, it may be difficult to obtain accurate results for non-uniform surfaces. If the antenna survives the temperature exposure and performs within the specification, the antenna is determined to be functional.